Quarrying apparatus



y. SMELY QUARRYING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fil ed Aug. 13, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 v v. SMELY QYJARRYING APPARATUS Filed Au fls, 1941 Dec. 29, 1942.

v. SMELY v QUARRYING'APPARATUS Filed Aug. 13, i941 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Dec. 29, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT T OFFICE quAanYligil rAna'rUs V a I 4 Application August 13, 1941, Serial'No. 406,685 In Great Britain August 13, 1940 v ,5 Claims. (c1. 262-12) This invention relates to apparatus for quarrying or breaking down coal, rock and the like of the kind embodying pressure-operated rams or pistons contained in a head designed to be inserted in a hole bored in the face of the coal or the like, the pistons or rams being forced radially outwards by pressure applied to the inner ends thereof so as to break down the material into loose pieces which may be easily loaded on to a conveyor belt or otherwise removed from the scene of operation.

The object of the present invention is to devise improvements in the construction and arrangement of such apparatus which will render it much more rapid in operation and less wasteful of material than hitherto, the invention permitting of a smaller hole being sufiicient to accommodate the apparatus, eliminating hand operation of the pressure-applying pump, enabling an increased pressure to be employed in the apparatus, and securing the automatic return of the pistons within the head or barrel.

The accompanying drawings illustrate one convenient form of apparatus in accordance with the invention. v

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the breakingdown head.

Figure 2 is a plan on a slightly larger scale.

Figure 3 is an enlarged section on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a section of a first-stage intensifier that may form part of the apparatus.

Figure 5 is a similar view of a second-stage intensifier.

Figure 6 is a side elevation of a mobile unit forming part of the apparatus.

Figure 7 is an end elevation of Figure 6, and

Figure 8 is a diagrammatic view of the apparatus as a whole.

In carrying my invention into efiect in one convenient manner, I form my apparatus in two main parts, one, shown in Figures 6 and 7, comprising a pump a driven by a suitable motor I) and having control valves 0 d associated therewith, all of which parts arecarried on a mobile unit adapted to be moved from place to place as required. The second part, shown in Figures 1 to 3, consists of the head or barrel e in which are located the cylinders with rams or pistons f operable therein, such head being designed to be inserted in a hole previously bored in the coal face or the like. In order that such hole may be kept as small as possible while permitting sufiicient movement to the rams or pistons to effect the breaking-down of the coal under pressure, I

may arrange the cylinders alternately at opposite sides of the barrel, as shown, so that one half of the rams will be moved radially at one side of the barrel and the other half radially on the diametrically opposite side. Alternatively, the rams may be arranged radially at any angle to one another instead of being arranged in two rows, as above described.

' The mobile unit and the head are connected by suitable flexible hose g' g (Figure 8) so that the unit may bekept at a sufficient distance from the 'actualworking point, and in the case where I desire to use a 'higher pressure in the head than can ordinarily be applied through a flexible hose while still permitting the necessary flexibility, I arrange to step up the pressure between thepump and the head by one or more hydraulic intensifiers. For example, in one convenient arrangement, I may provide one intensifier (indicated generally at A in Figures 7 and 8) on the mobile unit and there may be a second-stage intensifier (indicated generally at B in Figure 8) formed with or secured to the head or barrel. The preferable form of these intensifiers is shown in detail in Figures 4 and 5, and it will be seen that each intensifier comprises a cylinder 7; to one end of which is'fixedly secured a rod or shaft 1' having a longitudinal bore 1' therein and upon which is slidable a hollow piston k, this being an inversion of the usual form of intensifier designed to avoid difficulties due tobending stresses and permitting also of the use of glands or similar packings that may be made conveniently accessible for adjustment. For example, the outer cylinder may be formed in two parts and the movable piston may be packed by means of an external gland 1 between itself and the The apparatus so described is furnished with two pilot valves 0 d each of which is conveniently of the balanced piston type, the first-stage valve 0 being located between the pump and first-stage intensifier while the second-stage valve d is between the first and second intensifiers. The valves, which are carried on the mobile unit, are operable by hand levers c d or otherwise and control the necessary pressure and exhaust ports for the convenient operation of the apparatus.

With the two-stage intensifier construction described, there would be two flexible hoses g, g connecting the mobile unit and the head, one

of which g supplies pressure to the rear end ofthe movable hollow .piston of the second-stage intensifier while thesecond g supplies pressure to the opposite end of the said member, that is, to the space surrounding the fixed rod or guide. The bore of the latter communicates with a pressure passage n in the head supplying pressure liquid to the rams or pistons for producing the outward movement of the latter, while the space surrounding the guide is connected through a suitable check valve with a passage 11 in the head supplying pressure liquid to return the pistons or rams automatically to their inner or inoperative position. Conveniently, each ram or piston is formed with a somewhat enlarged head below which the pressure fluid is applied for the operative stroke of the ram, the ram being packed in its cylinder so as to provide an annular space F between the packing and the enlarged head of the ram to which space pressure fluid is applied for the purpose of returning the ram to its inner or inoperative position.

Conveniently, there is a check valve controlled port 1) (Figure A) connectingthe bore in the fixed guide ofthe first-stage intensifier with the space surrounding such guide so as to prevent the formation of any vacuum within the movable piston as the latter is returned to exhaust position by the operation of the first-stage valve, and there will also preferably be a pressure regulator in the pump system to prevent the pressure rising above a predetermined value.

It will be seen that by suitable manipulation of the control valves the pressure may be applied in series to the first-stage intensifier and thence to the second-stage intensifier and finally to the head for the breaking-down operation, and then by further manipulation of the valves the two parts of the system may be separately put to exhaust for returning the rams or pistons to their inner position and also the intensifier rams or pistons.

It will be understood that the invention is not limited to the foregoing details of construction which are given by way of example only, and I may modify the form of the head or barrel and the number and disposition of intensifiers when such are used and other details of construction depending on the conditions under which the apparatus is to be employed or any practical requirements that may have to be fulfilled.

I claim:

1. Quarrying apparatus comprising a breakingdown head, a mobile unit including a motor, pump and control valves, a flexible hose connecting said unit with said head, a first-stage pressure intensifier on the mobile unit, and a secondsta'ge pressure intensifier attached to the head.

2. Quarrying apparatus according to claim 1, in which one of the control valves is between the pump and first-stage intensifier, while the other is between the firstand second-stage intensifiers.

.3. Quarrying apparatus according to claim 1, in which each intensifier comprises a cylinder with a longitudinally bored fixed guide therein and a hollow piston slidable on said guide.

4. Quarrying apparatus according to claim 1 in which each .intensifier comprises a cylinder with a longitudinally bored fixed guide therein anda hollow piston slidable on said guide means for preventing the 'formation of a vacuum in the hollow piston of the intensifier during its return stroke.

5. Quarrying apparatus as claimed in claim 1 having pistons .slidable in the head, and fiuid pressure means for returning the pistons to inoperativeposition.

'VACLAV SMELY. 

